UTI, similar schools lauded in congressional report

Publish Date:

Jul 31, 2012

WASHINGTON, D.C. – United Technical Institute emerged as a bright spot in a senator’s report that delivered stinging criticism of for-profit colleges.

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, released his report this week after two years probing the education industry, its profits and recruiting techniques.

Harkin's report singled out the performance of mechanic training school UTI of Scottsdale, Ariz. The report says the amount of money the company allocates to profits and marketing are well below the industry average, and that it appears a higher share of students find jobs after graduating, according to the Arizona Republic.

"UTI's default rates [on student debt] closely track the rates for all schools [including nonprofit] and suggest that many of its students are finding jobs that allow the students to repay the loans," the report says.

It also notes that a smaller percentage of UTI students drop out.

"Although this partisan report is negative about the for-profit education as a whole, we are pleased that the results provided ... validate our higher rates of student completion and successful job-placement support services and outcomes," stated Bill Odell, UTI's vice president of corporate communications.